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Only a mini-explore to be honest, like a lot of the smaller places I go to, it hasn't been covered before on here so thought I'd do a little report for the sake of documentation. There were a lot of waterwheels in Sheffield but in terms of those where traces are still left, they are few and far between.
The remains of Whirlow Mill sit above Ecclesall Woods on the outskirts of Sheffield, deep in the undergrowth by the side of Limb Brook. John Bright owned a water wheel here in 1586 and it passed to his son Henry Bright in 1655. The mill was used to grind corn. It then was sold to Thomas Hollis, a former Sheffield cutler, in 1726. The site was looked after by the Trustees of Hollis Hospital who rebuilt the mill twice in 1734 and 1783 as it continued as a corn mill. In 1803 and grinding wheel was added along with a new waterwheel followed three years later. William Tyzack, the famous Sheffield tool-maker, leased the wheel between 1831 and 1847. The tenancy then passed to William Furness, a file maker, in 1853. He was still in tenancy in 1901 when a water turbine replaced the water wheel. In 1933 the mill, now in a state of disrepair, was sold to the City Corporation who used it as a store for maintenance equipment. When the mill proved to be surplus to requirements in the late 1990s they demolished much of the mill.
Two archive shots of the mill in 1950 (photo credits: E.M. Gardner)
The building is now roofless and only the end wall at the side of the wheel pit remains to its full height. The remaining three walls have been demolished down to below the original windows. However the wheel pit is still in place and contains some remains of the water feed pipe and turbine drive shaft.
Here are the pictures:
Looking from the top of the mill:
img0002 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0001 by HughieDW, on Flickr
From the bottom:
img0006 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0007 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Looking head-on at the wall of the wheel pit:
img0008 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The remaining gable at the wheel pit end:
img0009 by HughieDW, on Flickr
And inside the wheel pit itself:
img0011 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img0014 by HughieDW, on Flickr
Also, further down in Ecclesall woods, are the scant traces of Ryecroft Mill. Now all that remains of the old water-powered lead smelting mill (also on the Limb Brook) is part of the wheel pit:
img0028 by HughieDW, on Flickr
and the stone-work of the overflow channel:
img0031 by HughieDW, on Flickr
The remains of Whirlow Mill sit above Ecclesall Woods on the outskirts of Sheffield, deep in the undergrowth by the side of Limb Brook. John Bright owned a water wheel here in 1586 and it passed to his son Henry Bright in 1655. The mill was used to grind corn. It then was sold to Thomas Hollis, a former Sheffield cutler, in 1726. The site was looked after by the Trustees of Hollis Hospital who rebuilt the mill twice in 1734 and 1783 as it continued as a corn mill. In 1803 and grinding wheel was added along with a new waterwheel followed three years later. William Tyzack, the famous Sheffield tool-maker, leased the wheel between 1831 and 1847. The tenancy then passed to William Furness, a file maker, in 1853. He was still in tenancy in 1901 when a water turbine replaced the water wheel. In 1933 the mill, now in a state of disrepair, was sold to the City Corporation who used it as a store for maintenance equipment. When the mill proved to be surplus to requirements in the late 1990s they demolished much of the mill.
Two archive shots of the mill in 1950 (photo credits: E.M. Gardner)
The building is now roofless and only the end wall at the side of the wheel pit remains to its full height. The remaining three walls have been demolished down to below the original windows. However the wheel pit is still in place and contains some remains of the water feed pipe and turbine drive shaft.
Here are the pictures:
Looking from the top of the mill:
img0002 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0001 by HughieDW, on FlickrFrom the bottom:
img0006 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0007 by HughieDW, on FlickrLooking head-on at the wall of the wheel pit:
img0008 by HughieDW, on FlickrThe remaining gable at the wheel pit end:
img0009 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd inside the wheel pit itself:
img0011 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg0014 by HughieDW, on FlickrAlso, further down in Ecclesall woods, are the scant traces of Ryecroft Mill. Now all that remains of the old water-powered lead smelting mill (also on the Limb Brook) is part of the wheel pit:
img0028 by HughieDW, on Flickrand the stone-work of the overflow channel:
img0031 by HughieDW, on Flickr
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